This is going to sound crazy, but I avoid Whole Foods. I find the whole store overwhelming.
The shelves are lined with foods and brands I’m not familiar with and have no experience with, and I have no idea how I’m supposed to compare brands and how to figure out which brand to buy. Yes, I could just buy a couple, try them, and choose my favorite brand, but EVERYTHING at Whole Foods is extra expensive, and for a family on a fixed cash grocery budget, that’s not a good thing.
Also, because I only go to Whole Food to pick up a couple specific items, like Brian’s NutPods and Califia Farms Better Half Coconut Cream coffee creamers, I am unfamiliar with the store layout and always find it difficult to find what I’m looking for. The store just frustrates me.
The other day though, I had a bit of time on my hands and decided to wander the store to just see if I was missing anything major by skipping this store on my grocery errands. While walking through produce section, I saw a package of what at first looked like taco meat, but under closer observation, saw that it was something called jackfruit.
Um… All I could think was:
- What is jackfruit?
- Why does something called fruit look like meat?
- How do you eat jackfruit?
- What does jackfruit taste like?
- How do you cook with jackfruit?
I Was Intrigued By The Jackfruit!
I was intrigued at this weird package of shredded taco meat that wasn’t meat, but fruit. Intrigued and slightly weirded out. But, I’m doing Whole30 and trying new things, and I don’t like eating as much meat as we have been, so I bought two packages of Tex Mex Jackfruit by The Jackfruit Company and decided to give it a try.
Then it sat in our refrigerator staring at us for more than a week. Brian and I both were curious, but not enough so that it was going to be a first choice item for any meal. But then we got low on groceries and low on choices, and it was time to try the jackfruit.
We decided to add it to a breakfast scramble and see what we thought…
The Taste Of Jackfruit
Let’s talk about the taste of jackfruit — or rather its lack of taste. I was hesitant to try it because of texture concerns and flavor concerns, which as it turns out, I didn’t need to worry about at all.
- The texture of the jackfruit was very similar to pulled pork, but not quite as firm. Jackfruit really does mimic shredded meats in appearance and texture, so I can understand why it’s being hailed as a smart, high-fiber, whole-food meat alternative.
- The flavor of jackfruit is mild. We bought the Tex Mex flavored jackfruit and to be honest, it didn’t add much flavor to our meal, and when eaten on it’s own, separate from our scramble, had almost no flavor.
What Is Jackfruit?
The jackfruit, comes from the Jackfruit Tree, a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family. Jackfruit, harvested straight from the tree, is the largest fruit in the world that grows on a tree! A single jackfruit tree can produce two to three tons of fruit per year, with a single jackfruit growing up to 80 pounds — now that’s crazy!
- When jackfruit is harvested young, before it is fully ripe and the natural sugars have developed, the fruit has the texture and appearance of real meat.
- When jackfruit is harvested at it’s peak of ripeness, it is sweeter and has a texture is similar to that of a banana. Ripe fruits are used in desserts.
The Jackfruit Company, who sells a variety of flavored jackfruit products, only harvests young jackfruit, so their products aren’t sweet and the jackfruit has no sugar at all. According to their website:
Jackfruit is versatile! Similar to how tofu takes on the seasoning it’s cooked in, jackfruit meat also complements whatever dish you add it to, from quesadillas and chili to omelets. Jackfruit is also delicious to eat on its own, or added to your mainstays like brown rice, pizza, tacos, salads, and stir fry.
Our Jackfruit Breakfast Scramble
We used the Tex Mex Jackfruit in a Whole30 breakfast scramble along with tomatoes, onions, and peppers, and we topped it with some Wholly Guacamole. The breakfast scramble was good and the jackfruit is definitely a viable, healthy, vegan meat replacement and an option to enjoy the texture of meats for tacos and other items. But overall, I’m not yet sold. Both Brian and I agreed that it needed more flavor.
We didn’t add other seasonings to our scramble, except for some salt and pepper, because we were using the already seasoned Tex Mex Jackfruit — but it had very little flavor. If you like your seasonings and flavors mild, this is going to be a great option for you! But, if you like spicy foods like we do, you’ll want to add your own seasonings to give the flavor a kick in the pants!
Jack Fruit Taco Breakfast Scramble
Jackfruit is a high-fiber, whole-food, vegan meat alternative. When harvested young, before the natural sugars develop, the fruit mimics the texture and appearance of meats like pulled pork or shredded beef.
Ingredients
- 1 pkg Tex Mex Jackfruit
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 1/3 onion, chopped
- 1/3 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/3 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- Avocado
- Sea salt and black pepper for taste
Instructions
- Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Saute until onions begin to brown.
- Add jackfruit, eggs, salt, and pepper. Scramble until the eggs are cooked and the jackfruit is hot.
- Serve immediately and top with avocado or Wholly Guacamole.
